[Experience with echocardiographic examination of patients with left bundle branch block under intensive care]

In the 3 and a half year patient material of their Intensive Care Unit the authors studied the diagnostic value of the echocardiography in left bundle branch block. From the 925 patients treated this period they analysed retrospectively the clinical data of 51 patients with left bundle branch block. In 37 cases acute myocardial infarction was suspected (group A), 14 patients were hospitalized because of severe left ventricular dysfunction without chest pain (group B). The echocardiography was performed always within 48 hours after admission. In 18/37 respectively 8/14 cases the left bundle branch block had already been known from the previous examinations. In the group A the enzyme test verified acute myocardial infarction in 23 patients, in each of them segmental wall motion abnormality--either akinesis or dyskinesis--was detected by echocardiography. In group B 5 dilated cardiac diseases, 1 aortic and 2 mitral vitiums were verified by echocardiography. From the 6 patients of the group B the wall motion abnormalities were caused by acute myocardial infarction in 1 patient and by a previous myocardial infarction in 5 patients. At the Intensive Care Unit 8, and during the further observation in hospital 5 patients died. In each cases the section reinforced the findings of the echocardiography. According to the authors' experiences, echocardiography is proved to be a very useful help in the acute cardiac care of patients with left bundle branch block.